


Lighthouse

by afrostywriter



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lotor (Voltron), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-08-27 21:57:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16710796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afrostywriter/pseuds/afrostywriter
Summary: Shortly after the end of season seven, Lotor ends up on Earth in critical condition.When he finally awakens, his one mission is to restore peace to the universe by uniting the Galra people once more and ending the ongoing war. In order to do that, he must find an ancient artifact created by a previous emperor.But he can't do it alone.So it is decided that Keith, the Black Paladin of Voltron, will accompany him on his journey.Turns out, six months can completely change the way you see a person.





	1. If only they knew what they're getting themselves into....

As the black lion sped out of Earth's solar system, Keith wondered why the hell he agreed to this. 

Yes, he desperately wanted to explore his Galra heritage.

Yes, this ancient artifact was sacred and extremely important to the empire, and recovering it could unite the warring factions into one cohesive group for the first time since Zarkon, and bring peace to the universe.

Yes, Lotor was technically the emperor. 

But why did Keith have to help him recover this relic? 

He was just sitting there.

Staring out at the stars in silence like they belonged to him, which technically, some of them did. 

Keith decided to break the tension. "So, you're not going to say anything? This is gonna be a long trip." 

Lotor met his gaze, and a shiver went down Keith's spine. Ever since Lotor returned, there had been a darkness behind his eyes. Some sort of deep emotional trauma that could only be described as the look of a man who had seen hell.

And Keith knew that look. It was there in Shiro's eyes as well, but there was a difference here. Somehow, Lotor seemed more broken. 

"Is there anything we can really talk about?" His voice was full of that darkness too, but it almost made it more beautiful, in a depressing sort of way. 

Before Keith could form a response, Lotor had turned away again, his one stray piece of hair flopping across his face. 

Keith tried not to stare. He spent the next hour mostly gazing out into space, occasionally stealing glances at the emperor. He was sure that Lotor noticed, but if he did, he said nothing. And eventually, Keith began to notice subtle differences in Lotor's appearance from when he first appeared as a supposed ally. 

His hair was longer, for one thing. His posture, much less proud and confident. But perhaps the most prominent (Keith found it odd that this stood out) were the lines under his eyes. He couldn't help but wonder if Lotor had slept at all in the past forty-eight hours.

His mind began to wander back to the battle at the rift. 

It had all been a misunderstanding, that much was clear. Lotor was not the monster that Romelle had thought he was, and upon further investigation of the colony, it became obvious that it was more Haggar's work than Lotor's. There were a lot of unanswered questions, of course. Lotor had been extremely tight-lipped about the whole thing, which had lead Allura down a road of distrust and anger (no doubt causing Lotor a great deal more difficulty in dealing with his own issues). 

And now they were here. Lotor's ship had crashed into the desert, and when they found him, he was unconscious and barely alive. He had spent a week in the garrison hospital, barely eating, speaking to no one, and when he finally did, it was to tell Allura and Coran to examine what memories he would give up. 

What they found had shocked them all. 

Almost immediately after the battle, Haggar (or Honerva, whatever she was calling herself now) had swooped in and pulled Lotor out of the rift, using some form of Altean alchemy that Allura couldn't identify. 

She had extracted nearly all of the quintessence from Lotor's body, leaving just enough for him to survive, and put him in cryostasis for about a year. From there, he had escaped and made his way to Earth, where he knew Voltron would be.

Other than that, it was very unclear.

This ancient relic bullshit was a new development.

A few days ago, Kolivan had had a talk with Lotor, and apparently, they had concluded that this ancient sword from the early days of the empire was the only way to bring the warring factions back together. It was also a good idea for the leader of Voltron and the current Galra emperor to go get it because "working together is a good symbol of cooperation".

Why Krolia couldn't come with them was a mystery to Keith. He already missed her.

"Keith?" 

The comm lit up, and he instinctively answered.

It was Allura. 

"Are you ready to make the jump? You've just passed Kerberos." 

"Yeah. I'll let you know when I'm on the other side." 

And just like that, they passed through the wormhole and back into Galra occupied territory. 

Keith didn't notice that Lotor had stood up until he was leaning on the back of his chair, one hand on the headrest. 

"We need to go to the Ishkar Nebula. The last known location of the relic was on a dwarf planet somewhere inside."

Keith looked up at him. "Do you know the coordinates of the planet?" 

Lotor shook his head. "Vaguely. The information Kolivan gave me was somewhat incomplete. This will be like... what is the human proverb?"

Keith almost laughed. "Looking for a needle in a haystack?"

"Yes. That."

Keith was already plotting a course. "Well, I guess we'd better start looking."

\--------------------------

Several hours and picturesque space clouds later, Lotor finally decided to talk to Keith about something other than the mission. 

"Keith?"

The paladin turned. "Yeah?"

Lotor's question died in his throat. Talking was a chore now. He had spent years learning how to speak without betraying emotion or showing awkwardness, and now, he had lost that skill. All of who he had been was gone. Still in his memory, but inaccessible. He longed for conversation, but feared the possibility of making a fool of himself.

Fear.

Such a strange thing, fear. The very thing he had suppressed as a child in order to gain Dayak's approval. 

"Lotor?"

He looked away. "Erm. Nothing. Let me know when we are getting close to our destination."

He was scared. It had been so long since he had let himself feel that emotion, and yet here it was. A cold spot in his gut, spreading like ice. This was becoming increasingly more common now, now that he didn't know how long he had left to live.

Maybe thousands of years.

Maybe exponentially less.

But it wasn't fear of mortality, he was resigned to that fact, it was that he was no longer in control. He had been biologically twenty-three by human standards for approximately nine thousand years, due to overexposure to quintessence somewhere along the line. That extra quintessence was gone now, leaving him quite unsure of his life expectancy. 

He honestly felt like a child, and that was embarrassing. He was very much not a child. And yet, he was becoming increasingly sure that he had the emotional maturity of one. 

That was the only explanation for this overwhelming surge of emotions that were primarily lead by fear. 

Honestly. He even was nervous about talking to Keith, and that was ridiculous. He knew very well that Keith's social skills were abysmal, yet he was still sulking in silence, dreading to moment when he would have to interact with the paladin. 

"Hey, Lotor?"

Keith had stretched out in his chair, feet up on his console, hands folded behind his head. 

"I'd rather not make this whole trip in silence. That's really not good for mental health." He chuckled. "I learned that the hard way with the other paladins... we almost killed each other, mainly because we'd had too much time in our own heads." 

Lotor shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know what we could talk about other than the mission." 

Keith swung his legs back down toward the floor and spun in his chair, turning completely toward Lotor. "Tell me about the relic. It's gotta have an interesting backstory, right?" 

Lotor sat up. This was easy - something factual. A piece of history. 

"This 'relic', as you call it, is an extremely powerful sword. Some believe it to be composed if the same trans-reality metal that Voltron is made of. It was forged during the reign of Vrig the Great, the first of the spacefaring emperors. It was he who started the tradition of the Kral Zera and appointed the first Archivist. 

"The sword became the customary weapon of the emperor, passed on to whoever relit the flame. In time, it simply became known as Ke'Vara, or 'reaper' in the old language."

Keith waved his hands wildly. "Woah woah woah. There's an old Galra language?" 

Lotor raised an eyebrow. "There are hundreds of old Galra languages from before the spread of the universal tongue we speak now. I am fluent in sixty of them."

Keith looked shocked. "You speak sixty languages?" 

Lotor nodded. "More than that, actually. I know thirty-one Altean languages, as well as an assortment of others from many different sectors of space."

Keith rested his face on one hand. "I guess I never thought about other planets having a bunch of different languages.... Earth isn't very special in that way." 

"Actually, humans inadvertantly did something quite improbable, the likes of which I've only seen a handful of times." 

"What do you mean?"

Lotor almost smiled. "The language you are speaking now, this 'English' as you call it, is nearly identical to the common language spoken by almost the entire known universe. In short, humans evolved with a combination language that matched with the lingual patterns of nearly the rest of known intelligent life. It's quite fascinating."

Keith's face was a mask of shock. "...so, we're not speaking the same language?" 

Lotor shook his head. "Technically, no. But we understand each other well enough that the tiny discrepancies go unnoticed." 

"That's.... crazy."

"It's remarkable."

The moment Lotor stopped speaking, it hit him like a flash of blasterfire that they had been talking freely for.... how long? He hadn't lost track of time like this since he was an adolescent, staying awake until dawn immersed in historical files. 

And as luck would have it, an alarm began buzzing on Keith's console, abruptly ending Lotor's reverie.

Keith whirled in his chair, swiping at the notification in irritation. "......oh." his face changed. "It's a distress beacon."

Lotor stood, leaning over the console with interest. "Where from?" 

"Ummmm...." the paladin frantically attempted to track the signal. "Not far. It originates from a star system that's almost directly on our course." He glanced up at Lotor. "I know it's not part of our mission, but as the leader of Voltron, I'm obligated to help them, whoever they are. So, uh, we're going in." 

Lotor nodded. He had expected as much. "For time's sake, I suggest we make this quick. As willing as I am to assist you in helping these people, we do not have an eternity to accomplish what we came here to do." 

Keith cracked a smile. "Ok. Let's see what's going on."

\-------------------------

As the black lion entered the planet's atmosphere, Keith almost felt disappointed. Lotor had retreated back into his sulking silence, and Keith found that a little upsetting. 

He liked talking, and that was something that had taken him two years stranded in space with his mother to realize. That realization, that he needed social interaction to maintain his sanity, was pretty damn startling. Maybe, all the years he had spent on Earth, he'd been taking his proximity to other people for granted. 

The black lion gave him a mental nudge, letting him know that they were about to enter a possibly dangerous situation, and the second they broke through the clouds, Keith couldn't agree more. 

The turbulence was nearly unbearable. Lotor, who previously hadn't been holding on to anything, stumbled and fell, sliding into the bulkhead with an audible whump. 

"Are you ok?" Keith yelped, trying to steady the controls. 

"I'm fine." Lotor pulled himself upright, grabbing on to the back of Keith's chair. "We need to land, we'll only be tossed around if we remain airborne." 

"I'm working on it-" Keith jerked the controls downward, sending them into a nosedive. Lotor made some sort of whining noise in the back of his throat, and had they not been in immediate danger, Keith might have laughed.

Even as they hurtled toward the planet's surface, the hurricane-force winds pushed the lion sideways. 

"Keith, look ou-"

The black lion slammed into something, and Keith's head hit the console. He could vaguely feel someone shaking him. "-eith! Keith, stay awake-" 

Everything went black.

.....

..

.....

Keith's vision faded back in to an unfamiliar face. 

"Papa! The other one's awake!" 

The face disappeared, and Keith opened his eyes fully, taking in his surroundings. He was sitting against the wall of a small sandstone cave, his hands tied behind his back. It seemed to be a living space of some kind, a stove against one wall, a doorway on the opposite wall that seemed to lead to a bedroom, and an assortment of handmade furniture arranged throughout the space. 

Lotor stirred next to him, groaning in pain. There was a gash on the side of his head, made apparent by the dark purple blood staining his white hair. "I tried to stop them from taking us, but... well, I was injured," he said sheepishly.

"It's ok." Keith closed his eyes and reached out to the black lion. Almost immediately, he was greeted by the familiar presence in the back of his head. 

He turned back to Lotor. "How long have we been here?"

"I don't know, I was unconscious for most of it. Half a varga, maybe?"

Keith nodded, lost in thought. Just as he was about to respond to Lotor, a man and a child entered the room. 

Keith had never seen aliens of this race before. They had fluffy ears, and feathers on their heads where hair would be on a human. Their noses were small, and their mouths almost reptilian. Their eyes, however, were huge and unblinking, like an owl. They were otherwise humanoid in shape, albeit a little short. 

He noticed the man was sporting a bruise under one eye, and glanced over at Lotor in question. He grimaced. "Sorry," he whispered. 

"B-be quiet!" The man seemed very afraid, and was not hiding it well. He turned to Keith. "Who are you, and why do you travel with this Galran?"

Keith exchanged glances with Lotor. "Um, my name is Keith. I'm a paladin of Voltron. We mean you no harm, I swear." 

The man gestured wildly at Lotor. "If you mean us no harm, why did this one attempt to fight me?!" 

Lotor growled. "You tried to stab me-" 

"OKAY!" Keith took a deep breath. "Okay, I get it. Lotor, you were provoked. Guy I don't know, there is clearly a misunderstanding here that I'm not seeing because I'm an awful diplomat." he briefly closed his eyes. "Okay. Lotor, I know that you know better than to fight a member of an alien species you've never encountered. That's not even a diplomacy thing, it's just common sense." 

Lotor huffed, but said nothing. 

"And you." He turned to the alien. "What's your name?"

The man shifted. "M-my name is Doxum..." 

Keith nodded. "Doxum. Um, we came here in answer to a distress beacon. Do you have any idea where it could be coming from?"

Doxum's eyes narrowed slightly. "We are overrun by Galra. No doubt, this beacon of yours belongs to some unfortunate soul who has since perished."

Keith inhaled sharply. "What do you mean, overrun? Your planet is on the Coalition map." 

Doxum threw his hands up dramatically. "IT WAS! Nearly five decapheobs ago, Voltron vanished, and with it, our freedom! I have no trust for you, Paladin-" he narrowed his eyes at Lotor, "-especially when you travel with one of them."

Keith's eyes narrowed, a spark of frustration igniting in his gut. "Alright buddy, that's where I draw the line." He stood, towering menacingly over the shorter man. "Let me make this very clear. Not all Galra are the monsters you seem to think we are." As he spoke, he bared his fangs, growling in the back of his throat. Right on cue, the black lion roared outside, shaking the cave. 

Doxum whimpered and drew back, cowering. 

Keith yanked his wrists apart, breaking the flimsy rope he'd been bound with. "Now, listen. You're gonna take us to whoever's in charge of the native population of this planet. And if you can't do that, we'll leave you occupied by the Galra and continue on our way." 

Just before he was about to continue, the child balled their fists and growled back at him. 

"Don't talk to papa like that!" 

Doxum gasped. "Ashen! Do not provoke him!" 

Ashen scowled and gestured at Keith. "This one is insolent! You've told me countless times that I should not speak that way, and I don't see why he's excused!" 

"Keith." 

Keith turned to find Lotor standing, his hands free. 

"We should leave while they're distracted. We don't have much time, and I can probably use my influence as Emperor to make the Galra leave and liberate the planet-" 

Ashen turned toward them, completely ignoring Doxum's panicked expression. 

"You aren't going anywhere!" 

They turned back to Doxum. 

"Papa, ever since Mama died, you've been soft. You're always scared, and you never try to help the resistance."

His mouth opened and closed, but he said nothing. 

The child continued. "Whether you like it or not, these two are our best shot at really helping. Even if they are Galra, and..." They glanced at Keith, "...rude." 

Ashen stood as tall as they could. "I'll take you to the resistance leaders, with or without Papa's help." 

\--------------------------

As they crashed through the underbrush, Lotor wondered why they couldn't just use the black lion. 

He supposed that the lion would be less inconspicuous. This arrangement was undoubtedly more practical. 

That didn't stop him from internally complaining every step of the way. Who knew what could be lurking in the trees? 

He wasn't scared, just.... alert. 

Honestly, he was more freaked out by how skittish he felt. 

Keith was walking next to Ashen in awkward silence, while Doxum trailed behind Lotor, terror in his eyes, one hand on his belt knife. 

"So, um, Ashen." Keith said, "how old are you?" 

The child turned toward him.

"Twelve decapheobs. How old are you?" 

"Oh, um. Twenty-three, I think." 

Ashen snorted. "You think? How do you not know how old you are?" 

"I mean, chronologically, I'm about twenty-six, but I didn't age for three of those years, so I'm kind of twenty-three..." he paused. "I try not to think about it." 

Ashen giggled. "Why would you ask me how old I am if you can't answer that question yourself?" 

"I don't know, conversation starter, I guess?" 

Lotor began to tune them out. He could feel something watching him, and it clearly wasn't Doxum, as the man was looking the opposite direction. 

He glanced back into the trees. 

He couldn't see anything there, but that meant nothing. Just as he was about to turn back to the rest if the group, he saw movement off to his right. 

Before he could warn anyone, four hooded figures descended from the trees. His hand flew to his side, but before he could draw his sword, he became aware of a sharp pain in the side of his neck. 

Numbly, he reached up and pulled out a tiny metal dart. 

Through a haze, he could see Ashen waving their hands wildly.

"No, no, they're with us-" 

But he was rapidly losing consciousness. 

Before his eyes finally fluttered shut, he dimly saw a flash of blue light, and then nothing.


	2. The Rebellion is failing and Lotor is uncharacteristically scared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor complains about being captured.
> 
> Keith gets shot.

Lotor was tired of being captured. 

Yes, it had only happened twice thus far, but it was quite irritating. 

Even more irritating, perhaps, was the apparent fact that Keith was missing. 

Lotor was not unaccustomed to being left behind or stranded, but his current situation would have been less uncomfortable with someone to commiserate with. 

Who's quiznacking idea was it to hang prisoners upside down? 

By one ankle, too. What is the purpose in that? Making your prisoners uncomfortable and annoyed is a bad decision and should be avoided. Better yet, just don't hang prisoners upside down. Especially if they have long hair, and said long hair is dragging on the disgusting dirt floor. 

The room he was being held in was small, with a corridor leading into darkness off to his left, and a grimy curtain directly in front of him separating the space from a seemingly larger room.

On the other side of that curtain, he could hear people discussing something. 

"Doxum, be quiet please. Ashen, what were you saying?" 

"I will vouch for the strangers! The one we have only attacked my father in self-defense, and that is respectable. The other one-"

"The other one evaded capture! I will not trust him!" A gruffer voice. 

Ashen spoke again. "He is a paladin of Voltron! Surely that counts for something? Perhaps he is here to right the wrongs committed in Voltron's absence!" 

Lotor grimaced. He knew Keith had not been aware of the planet's plight. If Ashen's speculation were true, perhaps they'd have a better chance, but sadly, no. 

"Ashen, you know as well as I do that the Galra cannot be trusted in any capacity. Your mother is dead because of them! If a Voltron paladin is Galra, perhaps corruption has spread even to the universe's sworn defender as well!" 

Lotor snorted. That was hardly true. 

He scanned his surroundings again, desperate for any way out. His head was starting to hurt. 

Out of the corner of his eye, in the darkness, he spotted movement. 

"Paladin armour is incredibly inefficient in the dark," he whispered. "The glowing blue lights are a dead giveaway." 

Keith stepped out of the corridor, watching the curtain intently. "Sorry about leaving you here. Kosmo can be a bit protective." 

Lotor quirked an eyebrow. "Who is Kosmo?" 

Keith glanced at the curtain a final time before drawing his knife and hurling it at the rope that attached Lotor to the ceiling. 

"My teleporting wolf." 

Lotor hit the floor harder than expected, landing on one of his shoulders and nearly dislocating it. "How am I not surprised that you have a teleporting wolf?" 

He hauled himself upright and reached up to pull the knife out if the ceiling, handing it back to Keith. 

Keith turned toward to curtain. "Are Doxum and Ashen out there?" 

Lotor nodded. "Ashen is trying to convince the rebels that we're not a threat, and having a tough time of it. It sounds like they're not being taken seriously." 

Keith tucked a strand of messy hair behind his ear, deep in thought. "What do you think we should do?" 

Lotor looked back at the curtain. "Our best option seems to be diplomacy." 

Keith sighed. "I can try, but I'm pretty bad at being a diplomat." 

"Oh, I had no idea." Lotor almost smiled, then took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. "Let me do the talking." 

It was then that Lotor noticed the silence in the other room. How loudly had they been talking? 

Keith muttered an unfamiliar curse and drew his knife.

Lotor followed suit, almost laughing when his sword materialized in his hand. The rebels had neglected to disarm him. Clearly, they were not experts on taking prisoners. 

He could hear footsteps heading for the curtain. Lotor tensed, ready to act, but before anything could happen, an explosion shook the cave. 

A few screams rang out on the other side of the curtain, and the mechanical sound of sentries marching could be heard. 

Keith yanked open the curtain and charged out. Lotor quickly followed, scanning the room for threats. A small group of rebels was huddled against the far wall, and another closer to the door, locked in close combat with the sentries.

They were clearly outnumbered, and a few sentries had already broken free, heading for the huddled group at the wall. 

Doxum broke out of the group, waving his belt knife. He ran straight for one of the sentries, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Lotor sighed. "You're going to get yourself killed..."

He ran forward, grabbing Doxum by the back of the shirt and tossing him off to the side. In the same motion, he sliced the sentry clean in half. Electronic guts spilled across the floor. 

"Stay back," he warned, turning his attention to the few other sentries that had broken free. Keith had already reached the larger group, and was hacking at them violently, yelling as he did so. The few rebels that had been fighting were standing uselessly and watching as their enemies were chopped to pieces. 

Lotor easily took down the sentries that threatened the huddled group, then turned to Doxum and Ashen, who had helped their father to his feet. 

"Are you two alright?" 

Ashen nodded. "I think we're okay. Nobody else is injured, they're just scared." 

Lotor nodded. "Is there another way out of the caves?" 

Doxum shrugged. "I suppose the back way would work, if it has not been blocked off." 

Off toward the entrance, more blasters could be heard. This time, the yelling of commands accompanied the sound, signaling the arrival of foot soldiers. 

Ashen glanced toward the sound. Their eyes widened, and they glanced back to Lotor. "We need to leave. They will kill us all, and if they do, the resistance will be done for." 

Lotor closed his eyes, thinking hard. If the rebels could get out the back way, maybe Keith could call the black lion to get them to safety while the two of them fought off the soldiers. 

"Get the rebels out that way. The black lion should be outside to get you all to safety." 

Ashen nodded and began herding the group toward the curtain on the back wall. 

Lotor sprinted to the front of the cavern. 

"Keith." 

Keith turned toward him. "What?" 

"I need you to call the black lion. The rebels need a way to escape, and they can only get out if we hold off the soldiers for long enough." 

Keith blinked. "Oh. Right. I'll do that, cover me." He ducked off to the side and closed his eyes, leaving Lotor to defend them both. 

What seemed like decapheobs later, Keith jumped back into the fray. Lotor had already incapacitated three soldiers, and was working on taking down a fourth when the paladin charged in front of him and slammed the soldier in the face with the flat of his blade. 

"The black lion's coming to pick up the rebels. Once we deal with the soldiers, Kosmo should be here to get us out. Sound good?" 

Lotor nodded, but before he could respond, a voice called out from the entrance. 

"Well, well. If it isn't Prince Lotor...." 

Lotor turned, glowering toward the voice. There was only one person that could be. 

"Throk." Lotor feigned a smirk. "I thought I sent you to the Ulippa System." 

Throk stepped out of the shadows, his face a mask of hatred. "You know as well as I do that you attacked my base and got me demoted." He held up one hand, and the group of soldiers stepped aside, a tentative hush falling over their ranks.

"Let me make this very clear, Lotor." Throk drew his sword. "This is my planet. Any plan you may have to liberate it will fail, because I am going to kill you." 

Lotor could sense Keith getting ready to act, and reached over, placing one hand firmly on his shoulder. "Don't," he hissed. 

"Very well, Throk." Lotor stepped forward, forcing himself to be confident. He shifted into a battle stance. "Tell your men to stand down, and I'll consider a rematch." 

Throk chuckled ominously. 

"Oh, there will be no need for that." 

He stepped aside, and Lotor's heart stopped. Beside him, Keith tensed, his eyes widening. 

In the doorway, two soldiers stood, and held between them was Ashen. The child was struggling mightily, but their arms were held far too tightly for escape. 

Lotor exchanged glances with Keith, noting the confusion on the paladin's face. If something had gone wrong, why hadn't the black lion informed him? 

"So, Lotor, I give you a choice. Hand yourself over to me, and I will let the child go unharmed. Refuse, and they die." 

Throk crossed his arms. "Do I make myself clear?" 

Lotor unclenched his hands, his sword dematerializing. He drew a shakey breath. "Give me a tick to decide." 

Throk smirked like he'd already won. "Take your time, I'm not going anywhere." 

Lotor grabbed Keith's arm and pulled him aside. "Keith, I need you to listen very carefully." 

"To what? You're not giving yourself up-" 

"Yes, actually, I am." 

"What?!" 

Lotor placed both hands on Keith's shoulders. "I have a plan." 

He didn't really have a plan, but Keith was obviously irrational, and Lotor wasn't about to risk him sacrificing himself. The universe needed the black paladin of Voltron more than it needed an unstable Galra emperor. 

Keith shrugged off Lotor's hands. "You're not doing this. There'a gotta be a better way." 

He stepped back and closed his eyes, and almost instantly, the black lion roared somewhere outside. The ceiling shook, and dirt rained down. At the door, the soldiers all tensed and powered up their blasters. 

Throk snarled. "Kill them!" 

Ashen screamed, struggling harder, but Throk waved his hand dismissively. "The child is a bargaining chip for the rebels, take them away!" 

Panic ignited in Lotor's gut. "Keith-" 

Keith grabbed Lotor's arm and yanked him toward the curtain. "Trust me!" 

A blaster bolt hit the wall just above Lotor's head, another in front of Keith.

The paladin snarled. "Kosmo, any time now would be great..." before he could say any more, a blur of black fur and blue markings materialized next to them, and everything flashed blue. Before their surroundings faded, Lotor heard Keith cry out in pain, but he couldn't see what had happened.

They were gone.

\---------------------------

Keith's ribcage was on fire. He collapsed against Kosmo's shoulder, his sight blurring, each breath he drew pure torture. 

He was dimly aware of Lotor's voice telling him to stay awake, that if he passed out now he'd never wake up...

"Listen to me, Keith, hey-" 

Keith's head drooped to the side as he felt himself being flipped over and gently placed against something soft- Kosmo? The wolf was nuzzling the side of his head. 

He opened his eyes further. What had happened? Why did he hurt so much? 

Lotor was leaning over him, his voice calm despite the desperation written across his face. 

"Keith, you were shot. I think we're near the black lion, I just need you to stay awake until we can get you medical help." 

Keith tried to nod, somewhat failing. The pain in his abdomen was making it hard to think. 

"I just need you to answer one question-"

"Lotor?" 

The emperor faltered. "Yes?"

Keith smiled ruefully. "Why are you saving me?" 

Lotor's expression was unreadable. "You're not safe yet, Keith, you're dying." 

Keith tried to laugh, but it came out as a pained wheeze. "I've been in worse shape, I'll be fine." 

Lotor glared at him, clearly unamused.

"Is there a med kit in the black lion?" 

Keith struggled to remember. He thought there was. He vaguely recalled Coran telling the paladins about how a medical kit was in every lion, and Coran was likely telling the truth, so...

"Yeah." 

"You two!" 

Keith turned his head in the direction of the voice. Doxum? 

The little man was dashing toward them in a panic. His belt knife was drawn, and he had a gash across the side of his face. 

"They took Ashen!" 

His face changed as he noticed Keith's condition. "Oh." 

Keith tried to sit up. "I'm fine-" 

Lotor gently but firmly pushed him back down. "No, he's not." 

Another wave of pain hit him, and he nearly passed out, his vision blackening around the edges.

Doxum shakily put his knife away. "We have a small camp by the lion. It is a short walk, but I do not think he can-" 

Suddenly Keith's head was on Lotor's shoulder and he was being lifted off the ground. 

"That is a solution. Come, he does not look like he has much time!" 

The walk went by in a blur. By the end, Keith's head had slipped down onto Lotor's chest, and he could vaguely hear his heart beating through his breastplate. 

He was dimly aware that he was being carried into a tent, then set down gently on the floor. He could feel someone tugging at his armor, trying to access where he'd been hit. Something pricked his neck, and his vision faded. The last thing he saw was Lotor reentering the tent, the med kit from the black lion in hand. Then unconsciousness took him. 

\--------------------------

The blaster shot had hit Keith just below his breastplate, breaking three ribs. One of those broken ribs had punctured his lung. Aside from that, the wound had been instantly cauterized. No damage to any other internal organs.

This information was running through Lotor's mind over and over like some sort of amateur medical log. 

Lotor's understanding of Galran biology had made him to only person in the camp capable of saving Keith's life, making the past varga utter hell. Twice, Keith's heart had nearly stopped, and by extension, so had Lotor's. 

Now, he was sitting on the ground next to Keith, keeping a close eye on his breathing.

He'd been forcing himself to stay calm, to push that edge of panic back until he was sure Keith would live, but now...

Now all of the emotions he's been refusing to feel were taking over. 

He barely knew Keith. 

That was no secret. They'd met only a small handful of times, and most of them were in combat. In fact, they'd barely spoken more than a few words to each other before this mission. 

But now, Keith was all Lotor had. 

He'd noticed Keith watching him during the awkward silence at the beginning of their journey. He'd clearly been curious as to why Lotor was so silent, why he seemed almost afraid of talking, yet there had been no judgement when Keith finally started a conversation. 

Lotor had always thought that a quintent was not enough time to get emotionally attached to someone, but he'd clearly been wrong. 

He felt tears forming in his eyes. He knew it was irrational to blame himself, none of this was really his fault, but still. 

Keith had almost died. 

Lotor blinked back the tears, drawing a deep breath and trying to remain calm. He watched Keith's chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm, his torn flight suit already repairing itself. Altean tech was remarkable that way. 

Humans, however, were not. 

Doxum entered the tent, followed by a slightly taller man, and two other people of the same hight. Lotor immediately got to his feet. 

The taller rebel shifted awkwardly. "I am Exarion, captain of this rebel faction. On behalf of all of the survivors, I would like to thank you for saving us. We were wrong to imprison you, and I deeply apologize." 

The man nodded his head in what seemed to be a salute of some kind, and Lotor returned the gesture. Politeness seemed to be key in this situation. 

Exarion gestured to Doxum. 

"He tells me you are both Galra, is that correct?" 

Lotor shifted. "Yes. Well, more accurately, we're both half Galra. Keith is half Human, the race of most of the other Voltron paladins, and I am... half Altean." 

Exarion shrank back. "You are..." 

He glanced at Keith, then back at Lotor. "What is your name?" 

Lotor braced himself. This man already seemed to be putting the pieces together as to who Lotor was, and there was no point in delaying the inevitable. 

"Lotor." 

Exarion's brow furrowed. "Zarkon's son? I thought you were emperor now?"

"Yes, I am." 

Exarion blinked. "Then what in the seven hells are you doing traveling with the black paladin of Voltron? I thought the war was still raging!" 

Lotor took a deep breath. "The empire fell apart after I took the throne, and this war is no longer as black and white as it once was. The Galra have divided themselves into factions, fighting for control of various sectors of space. This planet seems peaceful compared to what's happening out there." 

Exarion turned, pacing back and forth. "So then, that means Commander Throk is not under any higher authority?" 

"I would guess so." 

"And you cannot simply order him so stand down and leave our planet?" 

Lotor shook his head, clasping his hands behind his back. "The traditional Galran hierarchy is based on a delicate balance of honor and violence. Because Throk does not recognize my authority as Emperor, my only option is to kill Throk and take his command by force. His troops would then be honor bound to obey me." 

Exarion nodded, seemingly lost in thought. "Then, perhaps, we can help you kill him." 

Lotor was slightly taken aback. "You would do that?" 

The rebel leader looked him in the eyes. "All you must do in return is to rescue Ashen." 

"You have yourself a deal." 

Doxum stepped in to the conversation, wringing his hands nervously. "I would feel better if Keith was involved... am I correct in believing that the Altean technology from the lion has healed him? And when he wakes up he will be in normal condition?" 

Lotor nodded. Technically, Doxum was correct. A healing pod would have done the job much better, but with the broken ribs fused back together and his lung healed, he was technically fine. 

"And will he be waking up soon?"

"Yes." 

Doxum took a deep breath. "When he does, will you fill him in on the situation?" 

Lotor smiled slightly. "Of course. I'm sure he'll want to help. He is a sworn defender of the universe, after all."

\-----------------------------

Keith opened his eyes to what looked like the ceiling of a white linen tent. 

How had he ended up in a tent? 

Oh.

He started to sit up. The right side of his ribcage was sore, but it didn't seem like he was dying anymore, so that was a plus. 

"Ugh." 

He sat up and looked around. His armor was neatly piled next to the blanket he was sitting on, and the black lion's med kit was on the other side of the tent. 

"Become a paladin, they said. It'll be mostly injury-free, they said," he muttered, pulling on his boots. 

"I see your sense of humor is undamaged." 

He looked up to find Lotor standing halfway in the door of the tent. 

"Oh, hey." 

Lotor stepped inside. "The leader of the rebels has presented me with a way to both liberate the planet and rescue Ashen." 

Keith stood, wriggling into the top half of his armor. "And what might that be?" 

"We rescue Ashen, and in return, the rebels help me kill Throk and take his command so that I can order the Galra to leave this planet." 

"Sounds good. When do we leave?" 

"Whenever you're ready. I have the location of Throk's base, all we need to do is infiltrate it, get past the guards, and get Ashen. From there, we have two options." 

Keith nodded, pulling on his gloves and bracers. "And those options are...?" 

Lotor smirked. "I didn't tell the rebels this, but I can easily take control of the troops if I have access to the command center. Of course, killing Throk would be a welcome bonus, and of course more traditionally Galra, but I'd rather this take less time than it needs to. We do have a bigger mission, after all." 

"Agreed." Keith grabbed his bayard and stowed it. "Let's get moving." 

A few minutes later, they had teleported into the woods next to the base via Kosmo. 

Now they were crouched behind some bushes in the treeline, looking out at the base. 

Lotor pointed to a barred vent at the base of the nearest wall. 

"If I'm seeing this correctly, that should lead into the main ventilation system, which doubles as an access network for general maintenance. This base is most likely a converted battle cruiser, which means that the vents have been modified to filter in this planet's air rather than relying on oxygen generators." 

Keith nodded. "What does that mean for us?" 

"The vents are basically guaranteed access to anywhere within the base. I know the schematics for a standard battle cruiser by heart, so I should be able to navigate through the vents to the auxiliary command center. From there, we can find out exactly where Ashen is being held, and deactivate security long enough to get them out." 

Keith nodded again.

"I've been on missions like that with the Blade of Marmora. I'm just wondering though, why not take command first, and free Ashen once the base is under our control?"

Lotor shook his head. "If Throk finds out what we're doing, there's a very good chance he'll use Ashen as a bargaining chip and force us to surrender. Rescue Ashen first, and we remove that power." 

Kosmo whimpered, looking pointedly at the vent. 

Lotor smirked. "Don't worry, you have a part in this too." 

The wolf tipped his head in question. 

"I need you to wait for us outside the vent. When we've rescued Ashen, we'll escort them to you so that you can teleport with them, back to the rebel camp. Got it?" 

Kosmo huffed in affirmation, tail wagging slightly. 

Keith laughed. "He seems to like you." 

Lotor smiled again, a bit more genuinely this time. "You don't know what he really is, do you?"

Keith shrugged. He'd never really thought about that. Kosmo had appeared one day, and Keith had befriended him. He hadn't thought to be curious about Kosmo's species, or where he came from.

"No." 

Lotor shifted his weight and stood, looking almost apprehensive as he stared at the base. "He is a Cosmic Wolf, part of a rare species native only to the Quantum Abyss. Extremely intelligent, and-" He glanced at Keith, "-extremely loyal to whomever they choose to bond with." 

Keith glanced at Kosmo, who was wagging his tail emphatically. "I knew you were smart, buddy." 

"One of the few..." Lotor muttered.

Keith stood up. "What?" 

"Oh, nothing. I like cats better." 

Keith held back a laugh. Of course Lotor was a cat person. 

He stood, gesturing at the base. "Shall we?" 

"Yes, we shall."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow so season 8 was a thing
> 
> I liked it???
> 
> I was going to put background Allurance in this anyway, and there's definitely going to be an Honerva arc.
> 
> I might try to be more canon compliant, but that might be too much work idk
> 
> There's plenty of room for issues on earth, since the black lion is halfway across the universe and they can't form voltron, so I'll have some fun with that. 
> 
> But enough about that.
> 
> things are getting interesting! Keith is starting to notice that Lotor is not as confident as he once was, and Lotor is noticing that he's capable of emotional attachment. who knew???

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter was a bit of a cliffhanger, and I'm very sorry, but I had to put something out, since I've been working on this for a very long time. 
> 
> I'm really looking forward to developing these two's relationship! 
> 
> They're both such disasters...
> 
> EDIT! I just realized that the summary said season six, I've now changed it to season seven. I messed up whoops


End file.
